Red Dwarf fans attending Saturday’s Dimension Jump convention got an unexpected treat when series writer Doug Naylor revealed that comedy channel Dave has ordered two brand-new series of the hit show.
Stars Chris Barrie, Craig Charles, Danny John-Jules and Robert Llewellyn will all return with Naylor writing and directing the episodes.
Production will begin this autumn with Red Dwarf XI airing in 2016 followed by Dwarf XII in 2017.
Dave revived the series in 2009 with Red Dwarf: Back to Earth, a three-part special which saw our hapless space explorers reunited for the first time since the BBC series ended a decade earlier.
Back to Earth was followed three years later by Red Dwarf X, a six-part series which reached peak audiences of more than 2m and was hailed by fans and critics alike.
The new episodes were commissioned by Steve North, General Manager at Dave and Richard Watsham, Director of Commissioning at UKTV.
Naylor said: “Steve North and everyone at UKTV have been so supportive of Red Dwarf from the start of their involvement with the show.
“Steve originally asked for more shows back in 2012 but frustratingly it’s taken until now to get our ducks in a row and all the boys available at the same time. Now they are, we’re all absolutely delighted.”
North added: “Red Dwarf is a really important show for us and I’m delighted that we are bringing more new episodes to our viewers.
“Above all else it’s a really funny show and one that is held in great affection by millions of people, including the Dave team.
“We’ve built up a great relationship over the years with Doug and the cast and it’s a privilege to be working with them again.”
To celebrate today’s announcement a selection of previous episodes, including the complete Red Dwarf X, have been added to the broadcaster’s on-demand service UKTV Play.
